Wireless communication devices such as cellular telephones (cell phone), other mobile communication devices that are combined with cellular telephones, cellular telephones that are combined with other electronic devices, such as digital cameras, and the like have become prevalent in society. Due to the small form factors of these mobile devices, subscribers and other users may often have the mobile device with them at all times of the day and night. For example, a user may have a cell phone clipped to a belt, in a brief case, purse or a computer bag, for example. Also, it is typical for the cell phone owner to use the cell phone for most of the owner's telephonic communications.
Due to this ready availability of cell phones, it is not uncommon for a user to receive calls from certain persons or organizations, or certain types of persons or organizations with whom the cell phone owner does not wish to communicate. The types of persons or organizations with which a user may not wish to communicate with could be described according to one or more genres. By way of example and not limitation, telemarketing solicitations could be classified under a commercial genre; charitable solicitations could be classified under a charitable genre; and political messages or solicitations could be classified under a political genre. Such genres may be identified by the user as undesirable or unwanted.
When a cell phone user receives a call from certain types of persons or organizations with whom the user does not wish to communicate, the user may face a frustrating situation. For example, in one instance, the cell phone user may either be on an existing call or in a location that prohibits taking a new call, such as a business meeting or the like, when the new call is received. If the call is one of an undesirable or unwanted genre, the user may wish to have the new call blocked or to be automatically directed to a call message system, such as a voicemail system or the like. In another example, the user may simply never wish to be disturbed by calls from certain types of unwanted or undesirable genres. Thus, the user may wish calls of certain previously identified unwanted or undesirable genres to be blocked (or terminated) or to be automatically directed to a call message system at all times.
Thus, mobile device users may benefit from systems and methods that enable calls to be classified by more or more genres and, according to the user's predetermined preference for certain call genres, having calls of unwanted or undesirable genres blocked or automatically directed to a call message system.